FA chief Martin Glenn to step down at the end of the season

LONDON: Martin Glenn has resigned as chief executive of the Football Association and will leave his role at the end of the season, the governing body announced on Thursday.

The FA said Glenn, who was appointed in 2015, “had delivered much of what he came to do”.

“When I accepted the role of CEO at The FA, I was tasked with improving the effectiveness of the organisation and making it financially secure,” said Glenn.

“I also joined with the strong belief that the England team’s performance in tournaments could and should improve, and that the experience of the millions of people who play football could be a better one.

“I will leave feeling proud of the success of the performance of all the England teams. I am confident that we have established in St. George’s Park, a world-class centre which will ensure that the teams will continue to build on their current successes.”

England, under Gareth Southgate, reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia and recently qualified for next year’s Nations League Finals.

FA chairman Greg Clarke said Glenn’s “integrity, commitment, energy and passion for football has underpinned the improvements on and off the pitch”.

Glenn has presided over a series of challenging situations in his role, including the appointment and rapid departure of England boss Sam Allardyce.

He was criticised for his role in the investigation into the conduct of England women’s manager Mark Sampson, who was dismissed in September last year.

And in March he apologised for remarks he made comparing the Jewish Star of David with symbols such as the Nazi swastika.

Glenn’s comments came as he tried to justify the FA’s decision to charge Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola for wearing a yellow ribbon in support of jailed Catalan independence leaders.

However, he has also been praised for increasing revenue at the FA and boosting the women’s game.